A Partnership of Passion: Beau Satchelle

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by Doris Hobbs[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]

Detroit Handbag CFO, April Bayles found herself aspiring to be the next Gloria Vanderbilt at the early age of 12 and became an avid fashion magazine reader ever since. From the prelaunch of Beau Satchelle and partnership with designer T. Michael, a signature, luxury leather handbag company has formed.

Beau Satchelle luxury designs embrace a high level of standards with an aesthetic that is wielded through a number of methods which all masterfully deliver quality and excellence. Classic and chic, the Michigan natives deliver French-inspired opulence with great restraint, combining nostalgic elements from past eras with a mixture of ultramodern style.

With headquarters in the Metro Detroit region, head-artisan T. Michael hand constructs each bespoke design one saddle stitch at a time. “Seeing completed leather goods placed around the studio is fulfilling and sparks the urge to build a better and more sophisticated product,” Ty explains. Since each luxury product is unique in its own right, the creation process is seen as stimulating. While many leather products are mass-produced these days, Beau Satchelle drives to stay authentic with their craftsmanship.

Entering year two of the partnership, Beau Satchelle has become even more popular. T. Michael’s design specialties are not only with women seeking a bespoke handbag, his designs have branched out to the wine industry. From a spectacular leather collection that calls upon a full range of leather goods, T. Michael and April decided to provide a diverse line which would cater to wineries in the form of wine bags and journals. Each bespoke design begins with a consultation discussing an idea or vision from their client, which moves on to the creative process beginning with a few design templates being drawn. T. Michael continues by sharing the remaining steps to the design process — “If the piece is for the client, the design will be shared with them and modified if necessary and once approved, a sample is created. If the design is an in-house project, both partners will critique, modify ‘if necessary’ then send directly into production. On the other hand, a client will confirm the sample and if there are no adjustments needed, production begins.”

Today, T. Michael delves into new projects with such inspiration. “We want to share with the world the fondness of both our Regina Bespoke Handbag and those who love the Michelle Bespoke Handbag because we respect the opinions of others who know style and fashion.” With their spring collection on the verge of completion, you can expect a new palette of color combinations among several different designs. “This collection will be showcased in January for a charity fashion show in Detroit,” he states. “The plan is to provide an up close and personal view of the quality craftsmanship and beauty our bespoke luxury goods have to offer.”

To preserve such a high standard within Beau Satchelle, T. Michael pledges to pay extreme attention to all of the details and provide stellar customer service, study deeply into the craft and remain patient when building each bespoke design. “We will remain consistent with the production process without cutting any corners. Modifying certain steps to leverage efficiency without jeopardizing quality is the only way we will gain time during production,” states T. Michael. From books to YouTube, T. Michael has studied hours on end learning the traditional saddle stitch, leather and exotic skin textures, leather skiving and edge burnishing all by hand while he continues to hone his craft. “It’s simple but tedious, easy but time consuming, challenging but rewarding and yet I continue to build product after product,” T. Michael states.

April and T. Michael met through divine intervention; she was recruiting for her insurance business and came across his impressive resume which was posted on a job board. They found a likeness in fashion and business and discussed starting a luxury brand, Beau Satchelle. At the time, their partnership was initiated through T. Michael not finding employment worthy of his qualifications that matched his engineering background. Feeling it was best to use that time and start working for himself, T. Michael expressed his business model to April and the rest is history.
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